New airline routes launched (31 July 2018 – 6 August 2018)

easyJet Berlin Tegel to Oslo Gardermoen

easyJet launched flights between Berlin Tegel and Oslo Gardermoen on 1 August, heralding the return of easyJet to Norwegian skies for the first time in four years, having ended flights between London Gatwick and Bergen in June 2014. With the capital of Oslo celebrating the arrival of easyJet, Gardermoen baked a cake to mark the occasion.

easyJet only introduced Ancona to its network on 27 June, launching a twice-weekly service from London Gatwick. This week saw the LCC add a second route to the Italian airport, this time from Berlin Tegel on 3 August. Seen at the launch of the route from the German capital are: Federica Massei, Sole Director of Aerdorica SPA; Luca Colombo, Ground Operations Manager Italy, easyJet; Silvia Ceccarelli, Director Central Regions, ENAC; and President of the Marche Region, Luca Ceriscioli. The airline will operate its Ancona service twice-weekly (Mondays and Fridays).

Among those at the launch of easyJet’s new route between Berlin Tegel and Graz allowing with the first flight crew are: Jürgen Löschnig, MD of Graz Airport; Daniela Gmeinbauer, Representative of the city of Graz; Gerhard Widmann, MD of Graz Airport; and Russ Smith, Ground Operations Manager Germany & Austria, easyJet.

easyJet added Montpellier to its Berlin Tegel network on 4 August, with the inaugural flight crew celebrating the launch on the apron after performing the first service. The carrier already serving the French airport this summer from Basel, London Luton and London Gatwick, with Tegel services scheduled to operate twice-weekly.

Along with expanding from Berlin Tegel this week, easyJet also added three new routes from Basel, with one of those being Belgrade. Among those at the launch of the airline’s first flight between the two cities was Silvia Herrero, Head of Marketing Central Europe, easyJet (second left).

easyJet, which launched nine new routes last week, launched a further 13 services from its Basel (BSL) and Berlin Tegel (TXL) bases this week. The longest route, from Basel to Athens (ATH), spans 1,711 kilometres, whilst the shortest – Berlin Tegel to Gothenburg (GOT) – clocks in at 570 kilometres. Commenting on the launch of these latest routes from the German capital, Professor Dr.-Ing. Engelbert Lütke Daldrup, CEO of Berlin Brandenburg Airport, stated: “easyJet is expanding its range from Tegel to further destinations. This is good news for passengers to and from Berlin. The airline is further expanding its involvement in the capital region and is making a major contribution to increasing passenger numbers at Berlin’s airports. Having had slightly fewer passengers in Berlin in the first half of 2018, we now see that the gap left by airberlin’s bankruptcy is finally over.” It should be noted that Ljubljana services were scheduled to begin on 9 August, however Flightradar24.com data confirms that the first flight actually took place on 2 August. See how the FTWAs from Graz, Belgrade, Oslo Gardermoen, Ancona, and Montpellier compare to others from around the world.

Jetstar Airways commenced operations on 3 August from its base in Brisbane (BNE) to Uluru (AYQ), home to the remarkable red-rocked national park. According to OAG Schedules Analyser, the 2218-kilometre service is operated three times per week using a 180-seat A320, with Jetstar being the sole operator on the year-round route. The route complements the Australian low cost carrier’s existing services to Uluru from Melbourne and Sydney; cementing the airline’s position as the largest operator at Uluru by monthly one-way seat capacity in August, with Qantas and Virgin Australia second and third respectively, according to OAG Schedules Analyser. Since launching in 2004, Jetstar Airways has grown to offer 300 flights a week to 12 destinations from Brisbane and now accounts for one-sixth of all passenger traffic at the airport.

The rest of this week’s new routes (A – Z by airline)

A cake cutting ceremony was held at Kiev Boryspil on 1 August, baked to mark the launch of Air Moldova’s new route from Chisinau. Seen cutting the cake are: Victor Sula, Vice-Director, Air Moldova; Ruslan Bolbocean, Ambassador of the Republic of Moldova in Ukraine; and Maxim Voloshin, Commercial Director, Kiev Boryspil Airport. The carrier will offer six weekly flights on the 406-kilometre sector using its mixed fleet of E190s and A319s.

Air Moldova commenced flights from Chisinau (KIV) to Kiev Boryspil (KBP) on 1 August, with the airline planning to serve the 406-kilometre sector between the Moldovan and Ukrainian capitals six times weekly using its mixed fleet of E190s and A319s. “We at Air Moldova are always looking for the best solutions to better suit the needs of our passengers. The number of our passengers is constantly growing and we are aiming at ensuring our passengers pleasant and convenient flights. Besides the comfort of a direct connection, this flight provides passengers travelling from Ukraine new flight options via Chisinau Airport which is used as our hub for the most popular European and Russian destinations,” commented Victor Sula, Vice-Director of Air Moldova. While this is a new route for Moldovan flag carrier, the airport pair is already served by Ukraine International Airlines, with it offering a daily 737-800-operated flight between the two airports. See how Kiev Boryspil Airport’s FTWA compares to others from around the world.

On 1 August Orlando Airport celebrated the launch of Avianca route from Lima, while services to Guatemala City and … were also added to the airline’s schedule. Pictured with the US airport’s Lima route launch cake are: Aristides Luna, Regional Manager, South US Sales, Avianca; Mauricio Cordero, Airports Director, North America, Avianca; Juan Carlos Ibarra, Honorary Consul of Peru in Orlando; Jerry Harris, Assistant Director, Marketing & Air Service Development, Orlando Airport; and Ivette Cruz, Orlando Station Manager, Avianca.

On 2 August Avianca launched flights from Guatemala City to Orlando. Seen cutting the ribbon to officially open the route at the former airport are: Juan Pablo Nieto, Deputy Director of Inguat; Jorge Mario Chajón, Director of Inguat; and Reyna Mejía, Commercial Director for Central America and Mexico, Avianca.

Avianca launched three new services to Orlando, FL. (MCO) from Guatemala City (GUA) and Lima (LIM) and San Salvador (SAL) this week. The former two launched on 1 August, while the latter was inaugurated the following day. The routes to Guatemala City and San Salvador will operate three times weekly, while Lima sees a daily rotation. All three services will be flown using the carrier’s fleet of A319s. The Guatemala route spans 1806 kilometres, while the San Salvador leg spans a distance of 1,848 kilometres. Neither of these services will face direct competition. LATAM Airlines will provide competing services on the 4,516-kilometre Lima route, with it too offering passengers a daily service. All three routes are expected to operate year-round, with the Guatemala City service last being operated in January 2012 according to OAG Schedules Analyser. Speaking at the launch, Phil Brown, CEO of Greater Orlando Aviation Authority stated: “Central Florida’s appeal as a global destination continues to grow as we welcome the airline’s newest services. We applaud the carrier’s vision to establish further economic and cultural connections between Orlando and these desirable destinations.” With these launches, it brings to four the number of routes that the Star Alliance member operates into Orlando, with it already providing a daily A321-operated service from Bogota. See how Orlando Airport’s FTWA compares to others from around the world.

Moscow Sheremetyevo’s Director Aviation Marketing and Commerce, Vladimir Khizhnyak, exchanged gifts with the Head of Security Control of Beijing Capital Airlines, Yao Xingyong, at the press conference arranged to promote the airline’s new route from Hangzhou which launched on 31 July. The route will operate three times weekly.

Beijing Capital Airlines marked the launch of services between Hangzhou (HGH) and Moscow Sheremetyevo (SVO) on 31 July, the carrier’s second non-stop service to the Russian capital airport after Qingdao, with the latter being a route that launched in July last year. The 6845-kilometre sector from Hangzhou will be flown three times weekly using the carrier’s fleet A330-200s and A330-300s according to OAG schedules. Currently no other carrier operates this city pair. With this launch, Hangzhou becomes the 19th Chinese destination to be served from Sheremetyevo, with Beijing (41 weekly departures), Shanghai Pudong (25) and Guangzhou (11) being the top three routes in August when referencing OAG Schedules Analyser data. Along with Beijing Capital Airlines, Russian national carrier Aeroflot, along with Air China, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Hainan Airlines, Tianjin Airlines and Sichuan Airlines, all operate regular flights between Sheremetyevo and China.

Hainan Airlines launched its third connection to Israel on 2 August with the introduction of a three times weekly service from Guangzhou to Tel Aviv. This impressive cake was baked to mark the occasion. 787-9s will be deployed on the 7,612-kilometre sector. Hainan Airlines already links to Tel Aviv from Beijing and Shanghai Pudong.

Hainan Airlines introduced a new connection from Guangzhou (CAN), the host of next month’s World Routes, to Tel Aviv (TLV) on 2 August. The Chinese carrier will operate the 7,612-kilometre route three times weekly. The airport pair will be flown by the airline’s 787-9 fleet facing no direct competition. This is Hainan Airlines’ third connection to Israel from it’s home country, with It already operating a three times weekly rotation to Tel Aviv from both Beijing and Shanghai Pudong. The only other airline offering flights between Israel and China in peak S18 is El Al, with the SkyTeam member offering a three times weekly service between Tel Aviv and Beijing when referencing OAG schedules.

LOT Polish Airlines launched flights between Bydgoszcz and Kiev Zhulyany on 3 August. The Polish airport celebrated the new route with a water arch salute, with the aircraft pulling onto stand soon after the inaugural baptism. The Star Alliance member will offer a twice-weekly service on the 906-kilometre airport pair.

LOT Polish Airlines launched flights between Bydgoszcz (BZG) in Poland and Kiev Zhulyany (IEV) in Ukraine on 3 August. The Star Alliance member will offer a twice-weekly (Mondays and Fridays) service on the 906-kilometre city pair using its mixed fleet of E170s and E175s. Data from Flightradar24.com and OAG schedules show that the airline will operate this route between the Polish and Ukrainian cities using a Warsaw Chopin-based aircraft, with it operating a Chopin – Zhulyany – Bydgoszcz – Zhulyany – Chopin rotation. No other airline currently flies between Bydgoszcz and Zhulyany, however it should be noted that from 28 October Ryanair will begin a twice-weekly (Wednesdays and Sundays) rotation on the airport pair. Along with Kiev Zhulyany, LOT offers a twice-weekly service between Bydgoszcz and Lviv in Ukraine. It does not operate any further routes from the Polish city. With this launch, Bydgoszcz now has scheduled services to 13 destinations, with Ryanair serving Birmingham, Dublin, London Luton, London Stansted, Glasgow (ending 26 October) and Weeze. Lufthansa offers flights to Frankfurt, while Onur Air links to Antalya and Travel Service Poland operates weekly rotations to Corfu, Dubrovnik and Zakynthos. See how Bydgoszcz Airport’s FTWA compare to others from around the world.

Malindo Air launched services between Kuala Lumpur and Labuan on 2 August. Officials including Raja Azmi Raja Nazuddin, acting Group CEO of Malaysia Airports (left); Tuan Hj Khalid, Minister of Wilayah Persekutuan (centre) and Chandran Rama Muthy, CEO of Malindo Air (second right), celebrate the launch with the ceremonial exchange of a model 737-800. The carrier plans to serve the city pair daily on a year-round basis.

Malindo Air, launched year-round domestic flights between Kuala Lumpur (KUL) and Labuan (LBU) on 2 August. The 1,527-kilometre route is operated daily using a 737-800. According to OAG Schedules Analyser, Malaysia Airlines and Air Asia already serve the city pair, with 13 and 10 frequencies per week respectively. The outbound service departs Kuala Lumpur at 12:30, arriving in Labuan at 15:00. The return trip leaves at 15:45, touching down in the Malaysian capital at 18:15. Speaking at the launch, Raja Azmi Raja Nazuddin, acting group CEO, Malaysia Airports, stated: “We applaud the move by Malindo Air for opening up the route from Kuala Lumpur to Labuan as the island is a strategic location with its own strength in attracting both leisure and business travellers. In 2017 alone, Labuan Airport managed a total of 577,459 passengers, with the specific sector of KUL-LBU accounting for at least 75% of the total load. We hope that with this additional route, air connectivity within Malaysia will be strengthened as we aim to make the country a global hub.” See how Labuan Airport’s FTWA compare to others from around the world.

Officials and airline staff celebrate the launch of Peach Aviation’s new route between Osaka Kansai and Kushiro on 1 August. The Japanese LCC has grown rapidly since its launch in 2012, becoming Kansai’s largest carrier by one-way seat capacity according to schedule data for August 2018.

Peach Aviation launched a daily domestic service on 1 August between its hub in Osaka Kansai (KIX) and Kushiro (KUH). The Japanese LCC will connect the two cities using A320s. Currently, Peach Aviation is the sole operator on the 1,230-kilometre route. The airline claims to be Japan’s first true LCC, and has cemented its position as Kansai’s largest carrier by monthly one-way seat capacity, ahead of domestic stalwarts All Nippon Airlines and Japan Airlines, which rank second and third respectively according to OAG data for August.